Diagnostics ROM Package - To aid with PCB troubleshooting, Shaun Wood offers an improved
Diagnostics ROM Redo, which also contains the archive of the original, flawed Cinematronics diagnostics package.
Merlin MultiROM - Merlin is a direct replacement for the original EPROM board used in Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. It
includes Dragon's Lair rev. F2, Space Ace rev. A3, DLE, SAE, and DL2E. Merlin allows ROMs to be swapped by using the
joystick and button. For more information, check the LaserCon site.
Arthur PCB Replacement - Arthur is a replacement main logic board for Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. The
circuitry for the ROMs and the Space Ace annunciator are integrated onto one main PCB. Arthur also has all the functionality of the
Merlin MultiROM products built in. For more information, check the LaserCon site.
Main PCB Revisions - There are two different Dragon's Lair board revisions (A and C). Rev. A PCBs have a serial number below 6,000,
and rev. C PCBs have a serial number above 6,000. The rev. C PCB arrived when the transition was made from rev. D EPROMs (five chip set) to
rev. E EPROMs (four chip set). This is also when the transition from the PR-7820 to the
LD-V1000 laserdisc player started. The older rev. A PCB can be modified to use the
LD-V1000, and the newer rev. C PCB can be modified to use the
PR-7820. For instructions on how to perform these modifications, including details on the laserdisc player
communications, see Jeff Kulczycki's
Dragon's Lair PCB Conversion Between PR-7820 &
LD-V1000.
Additionally, to see the multiple modifications that kept occurring to the design of the rev. A PCB during the game's production until the design was
essentially finalized near serial number 5,000, as well as detailed instructions for performing these modifications on early rev. A PCBs to achieve
their most stable condition, check Shaun Wood's report on the Dragon's Lair Rev. A PCB Modifications.
Sometimes, when operators updated the EPROMs from a five chip set to a four chip set, they would leave the 5th chip (now unneeded) in its
socket. Therefore, a board with five EPROMs installed is not necessarily running an older, five chip software revision.
Changes present with ROM revisions E, F, & F2 - The DIP switch for joystick feedback sound (B3) is discontinued
and is now used to select the model of laserdisc player, PR-7820 or
LD-V1000. (The main PCB must also be correctly configured for the player type.)
The option for 4 coins per credit is discontinued, and this DIP switch (A1) is now used to increase the hard difficulty setting further to very
hard. Complete details are in the Dragon's Lair Walkthru.
A setting of 2 coins per credit is not required for the pay-as-you-go setting to
function. Pay-as-you-go can still be used if the game is set for 3 coins per credit, and the price to
continue the game will also be 3 coins. However, the on-screen graphics will still incorrectly ask for
only 2 coins, both during the attract mode to start the game and also at the interruption points.
In pay-as-you go mode, extra lives may be awarded after the interruption points only if the game is set to begin with 3 lives.
European Versions - Dragon's Lair was licensed to Atari for production and manufacturing in Europe. The cabinet is very similar to
the Cinematronics release, but the hardware, including the laserdisc player, is totally different. Atari sub-licensed Dragon's Lair to Sidam
for production and manufacturing in Italy. Most of the hardware for the Sidam version is the same as the Atari version, but the
cabinet design is completely different. Both the Atari and Sidam versions of Dragon's
Lair use a video overlay for the score and lives rather than the score display PCB that is used in the Cinematronics version. Click on the
following links to see screen shots of the video overlay. Image 01 |
Image 02
Monitor Swap - If the monitor in your Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, or Thayer's Quest is not up to your liking, you can replace it with a 19"
TV. The Monitor to TV Swap page will show you everything you need to know.
68705 Bypass Mod - An update for older rev. A Dragon's Lair / Space Ace PCBs. See the
68705 Bypass Modification page for more information.
Volume Control Hack - Now you can adjust the volume of the joystick feedback sound in Dragon's Lair or Space Ace if it is too loud or soft
for your environment. Check out Shaun Wood's Dragon's Lair Volume Control Hack.
Interchangeability - Space Ace can be played in a Dragon's Lair cabinet simply by changing the laserdisc and the EPROMS
(and also ideally with the installation of the 3 skill level selection buttons for "Cadet", "Captain" & "Space Ace").
Engineering Mode - Engineering mode was designed to let the engineers playtest a scene without having to play through the whole game. To
learn more about this, see Jeff Kulczycki's info on the Engineering Mode for Dragon's Lair.
Initialization - Ever wonder what all those characters are in the score display of Dragon's Lair while the game boots up? Check out Jeff
Kulczycki's Dragon's Lair Initialization page.
LD-V1000 Boot Switch - A simple inexpensive way to build a switch that issues a play command to the
LD-V1000 or LD-V1001. See the
LD-V1000 Boot Switch page.
